Process of making stereotype matrices



Sept. 16, 1930.-

e. ROSENBLUM 1,776,197

PROCESS OF MAKING STEREOTYPE IATRIGIS Filed Nov. 2?. 19::

NAME

DATE OPE RATION NEW YOQK DENTAL CO NAME DATE OPERATION I VENTO ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 16, 1930 srarss UNITED GnneonY ROSENBLUM, or

BELLEVILLE, new JERSEY PROCESS OF MAKING STEREO'IYPE MATRICES 7 Application filed November This invention relates to the manufacture of stereotype matrices that are used in casting printing plates, and especially to those printing plates in which lateral and trans- 5 verse rules constitute a substantial part of the form to be stereotyped, that is rule-work, as it is commonly called. 7

The object of my invention is to produce an improved stereotyped matrix of such rule-work, so that the intersecting lines of the rule-form will be more perfect than is now possible with the single or composite type and rule form that is set up andused for this purpose, and also to produce stereotype matrices of any composite design, in an improved manner as will be duly hereinafter set forth.

For stereotype or electrotype manufacture the usual method of setting up rule-work,

from which these printing plates are to be made, is very similar. to any other form of type setting, and Where two or more rulelines intersect each other it is necessary to do very careful cutting and fitting of much 5 of the rule employed to produce good printing work.

Old brass rule has the ends worn or bent more or less, and then the resultant printing work shows blank spaces of noticeable size 0 where the lines intersect.

shoulder on narrow brass rule'also gives the same efiect. The alinement is also likely to be defective, and the cost and time employed in setting up such a form by hand is out of all proportion to any other kind of ordinary type setting work. 7

My process of matrix making for intersecting rule-work, either with or without other 40 type matter, is a radical departure from such laborious, costly, and imperfect methods of ultimately producing stereotype printing plates, and the process of such matrix mak ing according to my invention consists substantially as follows:

Any type matter is set in the usual way. All transverse rules are placed in one form and may consist preferably of integral lines, that is lines without break in any of them. These rules when once set up may even an- The prevalent 27, 1925. Serial No. 71,714.

sWer for different subsequent make-ups'pby merely respacing them. 5

The latter rules are placed in the same manner in a second form, and these rules likewise when once set up may also be utilized for different subsequent make-ups by merely respacing them.

The type portion may be assembled with either one of the rule-forms, depending von the nature of the rule-work that is being done. Preferably the type matter would go with the more complicated or quantity ruleform, because of the greater amount of resultant overflow or cushion that would be forced up in the plastic matrix material.

Register guides or pins are of course placed in the two forms for accurately positioning them.

With the two rule-forms thus prepared, the matrix making may proceed in much the same manner as in the usual method of matrix making, except that the damp or wet laminated matrix material or mat is only beaten down into the first rule-form used. However, with the many new improved compounds now on sale for matrix making purposes, the material in some cases only needs to have pressure suitably applied to it when dampened to attain the same result.

This first rule-form used may be, either the one carrying the lateral, or the one carrying V the transverse rule-lines, but would usually be the one carryingthe larger amount of the rule-work, together with the necessary type matter.

The method of preparing the plastic ma" trix material and applying it, or of vbuilding it up on the first form is not here detailed, as the usual practice would be employed, and such practice may vary within a comparatively wide range according to the varying kinds of plastic matrix material that is being employe These plastic matrix making materials or mats are now commercial products invery general use, and of great diversity in kind, and their several methods'of application are all Well known in the art. In use however preference is given to such materials as have a maximum of plasticity in their makeup, 1

and materials that are notnecessarily of a laminated structure may also be employed. Materials are also sold to be used in a dry form and the imprint is made by compression.

After building up or properly applying the plastic matrix material to the first rule-form, the form and plastic mat is preferably then placed in a ress, the press followeris lowered to a point tiat will give sufficient pressure to firmly force the plastic material well into the rule-form, a stop is then set on the press so that it can go no lower than this point on any subsequent impressiomthe follower is then raised, and the first rule-form is carefully removed from the matrix that has been formed. I

The second rule-form isnow employed and the stillsoft and partially formed matrix is placed thereon, the registering d'evices being used to accurately position it, the rule-form and matrix are again placed in the press,the follower carefully lowered to the stop set in the-first impression, and the rule-lines are thus forced intothestill plastic matrix material and so are superimposed on the first lines, so that the two sets of rule-lines actually intersect each other, and the regulated pressure has given them the same depth.

Other methods of applying pressure to an even depth are to be considered as an equiv- ;alent of the press here employed, .and any different sequence in the order of operation to the same end, is to be deemed as the equivalent of the one set forth and above described.

Precision is of course necessary in positioning the registering :pins or registering device so that a subsequentsuperimposed impression will come to the exact position that is required.

Having thus duly impressed the "two ruleforms into the plastic matrix material or mat, the follower of the press'i's raised and the second rule form may then be separated from the matrix that has been formed.

The matrix is preferably then :dried by heat, and when properly set may be used in casting stereotype printing plates likegany other matrix that is used in the art.

Other methods of making the lateral and transverse rule-line matrix impressions may be employed, and other means for effecting an accurate register of the separate forms may be used, but any such means of accurately superimposing one rule-form upon another rule-form, and to the same depth, to produce intersecting rule-lines in the matrix material for stereotype plate making, is to be considered as an equivalent method to the one above set forth, and is intended to be claimed and covered by this specification.

Heat may be employed in part before, or during the first impression, or in part during the second impression before the form is separated from the matrix that is being formed, or heatmay be employed after both impressions have been made. These variations of applying heat will depend on the nature of the plastic matrix material employed, but anymethod of heating the matrix before it is ultimately set is to be considered as an equivalent to the oneset forth without departing from the principle of my invention. 7

It is veryessential that an even depth be given to the two impressions in the matrix forming material or the resultant printing plates will not be usable.

A noticeable feature of my process is that the first impression made in the matrix material causes a series of cushions or overflows to be forced up and into the blank portions of the form that is being molded. 'Ilhese cushions being still plastic have assumed av rounded or beaded form, that make them especially adaptable for taking the subsequent impression of the cross rule lines, and so this process lends itself to rule-work in a anost satisfactory manner. Y

In the drawing attached, Fig. 1 represents a stereotype matrix M, after having thefirst impression made, which may or may not include the type setheading or insert,type,vand with the continuous or integral vertical rule I lines a a. V

Fig. 2 represents the same matrix M, having now received the superimposed cross impressions from the'horizontal continuous or integral rule lines I) b.

The slots at top and side of the matrix indicate one method of registeringthe two inapressions.

After the matrix isthus impressed itis dried or set and-several successive castings of stereotypes may be made in it. f

Rule-work stereotypes, cast from matrices made according to my invention, ofsu- ,perimposing the cross rule-lines, produce far superior printing work toany that can be done from the usual hand set rule and type, for the rule lines in the resultant printing from these .;stereotypes, actually intersect each other, are in perfect alinement,-'have .a finerand sharper face, and are of a softer and more grayish appearance than printed lines from the usual-hand set brass rule that is generally-employed. f

My process of matrix making results in printing that appears more like pen-ruling than like printing. Furthermore such printed rule-work can be made always, substantially from new or unused rule that is uncut. The cost of setting up the composite form has also been greatly lessened, and the loss and labor represented by the recut rule has largely been saved, besides much of the distribution work afterwards that is incident thereto.

No similar printing work, of intersecting lines or of lines that actually crosseach other as these matrices permit, can be done except from' expensive electro'types of wax-rule work (where lines are first drawn or'engraved in wax), or from equally expensive etchings of drawings of the same kind of rule-work, or from regular pen ruling Under this method of making stereotype matrices' of mile-work", several duplicate stereotypes can be cheaply cast from the same matrix, whereas from electrotyped wax rule-work, orwith the drawn and etched rule-work, duplicate electrotype plates are very expensive and their cost frequently in excess of any saving that would be made by using several of such duplicate plates for lessening the cost of the press work in printing from them. J Flexible matrices made according to my i nvention are adaptable to the casting of either flat or curved stereotype plates, and the matrices are so light in weight that in shipping them the postage cost is but little.

l/Vhile I have described in detail my process for making an improved matrix for rule-work, it is to be understood that this application is not to limit me in matrix making to rule-work alone, for I may also make, under the same procedure, matrices for other kinds of stereotype printing plates of composite design, where superimposed letters, characters, or designs, are impressed into the plastic matrix material after the impression of the first form has been made. This method of superimposing one impres- S1011 upon another in the matrix mat or ma of stereotyped music printing plates.

In the present art, the type setting of music implies the necessity of employing some 600 different characters or type, and so frequently instead of thus type setting music by hand, metal plates are prepared by laboriously pun clung or engraving the characters thereon, and when completed these depressions are filled with transfer ink, and the cbmposite whole is then transferred to metal or stone from which the printed sheets are then lithographed.

Under my invention the first impression in the matrix mat could be the staff lines, then a series of a limited number of logotypes of fundamental or basic combination notes and characters could be used, and these would then be set in a form with quads above or below each to properly position it, and this character form could then be superimposed upon the staff lines in the matrix and the resultant stereotyped music printing plate, from a matrix so prepared, would produce printed sheet music showing the stall lines as fine, sharp, continuous, and in perfect alinement, and the notes and other musical designations superimposed upon these unbroken staff lines in the most manner. I

This superimposing of notes and characters in the matrix mat could be done either in one, or in more than one subsequent impression, depending largely on the complicated nature of the makeup of the whole,

perfect and the order or sequence of making such impressions might be reversed or changed from the manner herein set forth, if the nature ofthe work demanded it, but the process would permit of the type setting of music with about one sixth the number of type characters now required, and would result in the production of printed sheet music, not only these combinations,'and without necessitatmg the cost of engraving, drawln'g or etch-- ing them.

Matrices may also be produced of type matter superimposed upon designs, thus obviating the necessity or mortising design plates to receive such type matter as is often done. terial, lends itself especially to the making Artistically engraved stock'design plates mightbe employed-in making the first iinpression in the matrix material and the subsequent impression he of such suitable type matter as'was required, thus making it possible to produce a printing plate that would appear" to'be engraved.

Stereotype matrices may be also made for producing many other unique kinds of stereotype printing plates, such cross word puzzle plates,- lettered panel plates, or for any combination of one or more printing forms, where one of these forms is to be superimposed on the other form, and the composite design is to be'printed in the same color of ink. r

.Matrices made according to this invention make possible the production of a superior stereotype printing plate for use with duotone printing inks, where in printing it is desired to obtain abackground effect of fine light lines, apparently carrying a superimposed heavier lined imprint, or where two different shades of the same ink are to be ob tained by ,a single impression, through the varying widths of the rule or type faces used in the type composition.

' Many other applications of this principle of matrix making-are also possible, and it is to' .torm is superimposed on another typeor cesign-form, to the same depth, in the matrix mat or material.

This feature of superimposing a subsequent impression into the plastic matrix material is to be understoodas an actual placing of the subsequent imprint over portions of the first imprint, without destroying either, and is not to be construed as merely two or more separate impressions made on different areas of the same plastic matrix material.

The use of the term type in this specification is intendedto cover the use of any character or design used in the art of printing.

Having now described my process, and having shown in what manner the same maybe utilized, What I claimas new, and desireto secure by Letters Patentis:

1. A processfor making flexible stereotype matrices from which more than one stereotype may be cast which comprises, subjecting a flexible matrix material to the impression of a type form to produce a type impression, removing the type form from the matrix thus made, then under heat subjecting portions of the type impression madeto the superimposed impression of a second type'form and t0 the same depth as the first'impre'ssion, continuing the heat until the matrix material is set, removing thesecond type form from the composite matrix, and then drying the stereotype matrix before use.

2. A. process for making flexible stereotype matrices of cross rule work'from which more than one stereotype may be cast which comprises, subjecting a flexible matrix material to the impression of'atype form'that includes linear type rule to produce atype impression,

removing the type form from the matrix thus made, then under heat subjecting portions of the impression made to the superimposed impression of a second type formithat includes type rule transverse to the first rule and to the same depth, continuing the heat until the matrix material is set, removing the second type form from the composite matrix, and then drying the stereotype matrix before use.

A process for making flexible stereotype matrices from which more than one stereotype "may be cast which comprises, beating a flexible moistened matrix mat into a type form than one stereotype may be cast which comprises, beating a flexible moistened matrix mat into a type form that includes linear type rule to give the impression a proper depth, removing the type form from the matrix thus made, subjecting portions of the impression made to the superimposed impression of a second type form that includes type rule transverse to the first rule and to the same depth, applying heat until the matrix material is set, removing the second type form from the compositematrix, and then drying the stereotype matrix before use.

GREGORY BOSENBLUM.

to give the type impression a proper depth, I

removing the type form from the matrix thus made, subjecting portions of the'type impression-to the superimposed impression of a second type form and to the same depth as the first impression, applying heat until the matrix material is set, removingthe second 

